A Month of Ethan - July TBT #4

Ethan with daddy, around 4 or 5 months old. Fall, 2002

Menu Plan Monday - Whole30 and Paleo: 7/21-7/27

What?! Two posts in two days? Holy crap! That's a record for me as of recent. This is just a quick one though with our menu plan for the week.

I do need to write an update on our yearly goals soon... Let's see if I can go for 3 days in a row!

I put Whole30 AND Paleo in the title because my Whole30 is over on Thursday and then we will be eating (mostly) paleo meals. There are few things I'm eager to eat again, though it's not what I anticipated wanting! *Hint: It's not pop, deep-fried foods, ice cream or even chocolate! Shocked? Yeah, me too!

Anyway, enjoy. I hope somebody finds something in here they like or want to give a try :)

MONDAY: Spicy tuna cakes and roasted broccoli (tossed with coconut oil, minced garlic, sea salt and pepper, then roasted at 350 for 20-25 mins - "recipe" from It Starts with Food.)

TUESDAY: Breakfast for dinner - homemade pork sausage patties, fried/scrambled eggs, roasted carrots (same as broccoli above) and toast for the husband and boys

WEDNESDAY: Cracklin' chicken, baked sweet potatoes (fries for the boys), salad, applesauce

THURSDAY: Coconut crusted chicken tenders, salad, roasted zucchini and summer squash

FRIDAY: Overnight oven-braised shredded pork tacos - although I may cook this in the crockpot - with guacamole (I still need to find shallots and don't have aleppo pepper), diced onions, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa, plus cheese and tortillas for Jason and the boys. I may decide to have a bit of cheese on mine, but we'll see.

SATURDAY: Cheese/hamburgers, oven-baked sweet potato fries, fresh cauliflower

SUNDAY: Leftovers OR dinner out somewhere


I can't wait to try a couple of other recipes: Bacon, egg & cheese muffins and cinnamon & coconut pancakes as well as Paleo sausage egg "mcmuffin" and Porkitos.

Linking up over on I'm an Organizing Junkie who is the awesome blogger that hosts this each week!

Learning to listen to my gut, figuratively and literally

If you've been following me on Facebook or Instagram - here or here - (or both!), then you know I started a new "journey" almost a month ago. What you may not know is the background and what the outcome is so far.

I had heard of Whole30 in passing on social media before but had never really done any research. One day, I was just sitting here and clicked over to read some more about it. I posed a question on my private FB page as well as the blog page, asking if anyone had done it, or was interested in doing it. I got some great feedback and decided it was worth a try. I ordered the book It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and change your life in unexpected ways. We went on vacation and I read about half of it on the road trip. I was convinced that it was worth trying.

30 days of real fresh food.
No (added) sugar or artificial sweeteners, including honey and maple syrup - added fruit juice is the exception.
No alcohol.
No soy.
No legumes (beans/peanuts/peas/lentils).
No grains (wheat/rice/corn/oats, gluten-free or otherwise, no quinoa, etc).
No dairy.
No "vegetable" or seed oils.

What's left to eat? Meat, including chicken, beef and pork among many others, seafood, and of course eggs. Vegetables and fruits. Healthy saturated fats (read the book and you will understand HOW that is possible!!) like clarified butter/ghee, duck or goat fat, tarrow or lard (!), coconut oil/milk/butter/"meat", olive oil and some nuts and nut butters.

Not so bad!

For nearly 25 full days, I ate really good - minus day 1 when I had soy from my canned tuna, and one day last week when I made the mistake of ordering sweet potato fries at a restaurant. I say mistake because I had made sweet potato fries at home, baked in the oven, with coconut oil and didn't think about it. Of course they were fried at the restaurant, and my brain didn't catch up to my eyes seeing how yummy they looked. Oh well, I only ate a small portion.

I've had some amazing results so far. My digestion has been better, my skin is clearing up on my upper arms where I've had a rash-like acne for years, my shorts are fitting looser, my brain/thinking has been clearer and my sleep has been amazing! I went from having very bad gas as well as weekly issues with *ahem* diarrhea (sorry, TMI) to having little to no gas and not having to use any anti-diarrheal medicine! I've even been told by a couple people - including my awesome MIL - that they see a difference in my size. I honestly can't wait to see my weight at the end of this on the 25th.

I am eating more often, 3 meals a day, and in reality, bigger meals most times, but also so many more veggies and fruit. I feel full and stay full. No real snacking and my cravings are virtually non-existent.

When we started, and I use the word "we" loosely, as my husband and sons are eating most of the same stuff as me for dinner, but are also still eating dairy and grains (mostly at breakfast and lunch) and a little sugar, I thought it would be hard to give all of that up. Especially pop. I was drinking one to two 20-oz Pepsi's a day. Giving it up cold turkey normally gives me a gigantic headache by about day 3 and I give in. This time I did not experience any headaches! I can only attribute that to the fact that I was also feeding my body real food, good-for-me food and my body finally had something to work with. And no, I'm not drinking coffee or tea, either! No caffeine at all for the last 25 days.

As I said above, for nearly 25 full days, I ate this way.

Yesterday, we drove to our hometown in Ohio, and went to a benefit for a friend's mom who is battling cancer. Knowing there may or may not be Whole30 compliant food there, I chose to eat a Larabar before going, and then made the determination to just do the best I could.

At first, it was easy. Pulled pork and shredded beef were available (with bbq sauce on the side, so that was easier, too) and carrots, celery and olives. I had some of the pork w/o sauce, some carrots and a couple of green and black olives. On that note, I realized I do not like whole olives, they are far too salty for me, and I'd much rather have them in a dish or on a salad.

After watching my older two sons and the rest of our family eating the mac and cheese, baked beans, and of course dessert, I thought to myself "What harm could come from having just a little?" I went back for some more food, this time choosing some beef w/o sauce, a small scoop of macaroni and cheese as well as the baked beans, and a small slice of cheesecake. I ate all of it but half of the piece of cheesecake. I felt just fine and figured one meal is okay.

We drove home and I felt very sleepy, which isn't unusual during a car ride for me, and by the time we got home, I was ready for bed. After getting our youngest son changed into pajamas and in bed, and giving hugs and kisses to the older boys, I literally fell into bed.

Fast forward a few hours to the middle of the night, around 3:15. I wake up from a sound sleep in the middle of dream, thinking I heard someone crying. Nope, nobody else is awake. I was wide awake for about 45 mins, just before 4 and then fell asleep until 8:30 when little J actually was calling for us.

This morning, I am feeling the after-effects of eating those things I've abstained from for the past 3 weeks. I could barely open my eyes, don't feel rested at all, and am quite groggy. My brain feels cloudy, if that makes sense. Almost like I was drinking last night. My stomach is a mess, just not feeling 100% and definitely gassy and bloated. :(

While I don't like the way I feel, I am glad I have a little confirmation that certain foods do affect me negatively. It gives me incentive and a renewed drive to continue eating Whole30 or at least paleo.

A Month of Ethan - July TBT #3

Ethan on his 6th birthday

Checking out one of his favorite things at the time, a new map!

A Month of Ethan: July TBT #2

I hesitated on sharing this one, because it's not a smiling, happy picture. It was taken at his 2nd birthday party, July 2004.

I look back at the pictures from the time Ethan was a little over a year old till around age 3 and see a lot of this "look". Almost a blank stare, lost in his own world, and honestly it makes me a bit sad. Only because we didn't know what was going on, that he had autism, that it was "ok" and how to help him work through things, and not want to just change things. I wish I'd known how to advocate for him better when he was little. Part of me just wanted to make him "all better" because I didn't want life to be hard for him.

Looking at him today, now, I wouldn't change anything about Ethan. I'm not saying I'm glad he has Autism, because there are things that make it hard for him to cope with everyday situations, but it's part of who he is, part of his personality, his quirks and his lovely traits! I love ALL of that about my oldest boy, and that's why I'd never ask for him to be different. If someone came to me tomorrow and said "We have a cure for Autism, all he has to do is A, B, C", I'd tell them "Only if HE wants to, because it's part of him. I love him for him." Just like I'd never want to change anything that is a part of who I am.

We are so blessed to have Ethan as our son and brother. I'm so proud of him in so many ways. He's learned to use his struggles to his advantage, and his "obsessions" to make life fun for him and us! 

A month of Ethan - July TBT #1

This month, it's Ethan's turn. He gets to celebrate the big 1-2 this year, his last "official" pre-teen birthday! I can't believe how fast time has flown. I'll save the mushy stuff for his actual birthday post but here's a cute baby picture for now :)

Summer 2003 @ the zoo w/ grandparents

Look at that smile! Those teeth! Speaking of teeth, he was so excited to tell us on the phone yesterday that he'd finally lost his canine tooth that had been lose for "3 weeks!".

9 years ago

*I started writing this last week, but forgot to publish it! It's a few days late, but I wanted to be sure to share.*

Timeline:
May 26th, 2005. One of my best friends was getting married. I was her matron of honor. I was also out.to.here pregnant with our second son. As in my due date was 5/28. Jill had the audacity to bribe my unborn child with chocolate!! She promised him the "biggest chocolate candy bar in the world if he'd just stay in till after the wedding"! Well he kept his end of the deal, though I think he's still waiting on that big candy bar ;)

May 29th, 2005. My parents came to visit. I was still out.to.here pregnant with Alex. It was getting hotter in southern Maryland, and I was slightly uncomfortable completely miserable. (Well, maybe not as miserable as I had been nearly three years earlier in July 2002, when our a/c went out the last week of my pregnancy with Ethan!)

We decided to go to the National Zoo in Washington DC for most of the day, and walk around. Yes, that's a brilliant idea...

In the afternoon, we decided to leave after walking for a few hours. Once in the car, I noticed my hands were swollen and I couldn't make a fist well, and my wedding ring was snug. No biggie, drink some more water. At that point, we sort of got lost in DC on our way home. Then the Braxton-hicks contractions I'd had on and off for a few days, weeks, whatever, seemed to be getting stronger. Yep, definitely feels like early labor, I say to my mom.

My dad teases me, and tells Jason just to head back to the zoo and we can ask a veterinarian to help me out, if we can't make it home in time!! WHAT?!?!

Not cool. Not cool at all, DAD!

Seriously though, the laughter helped and we did make it home not too much later.

I wasn't having regular contractions close enough at that point, so I decided to take a nice warm relaxing bath after E went to bed.

The rest of the night is somewhat a blur, as that's how memories can be, especially for a woman in labor, I suppose. All the details just kind of blend together, time is nonexistent. At some point, I decided it was time for Jason and I to head to the hospital, and check in.

I received an IV, an epidural, and if I remember right, just after the dr checked on me and said to let her know if/when my water broke or I felt it was time, to call for her, my water did break.

May 30, 2005: 12:22 am, Alexander Francis was born and we finally got to meet him and see his sweet face.

Just a few hours old

Daddy, E, and baby Alex

Grandpa O and Alex meeting for the first time (this is one of my favorite pictures!!)

Since the moment he was born, he has delighted us. He's a mischievous, funny, sweet and smart boy. Always willing to lend a hand and care for others.

Always one to keep us on our toes, he was the baby of the family for so many years, a great little brother to Ethan, as well as his friend.

.

When we found out that we were expecting our 3rd child, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when we told the boys. I thought Alex might be upset a bit. He was probably the most excited!

Of course, when we went for my ultrasound, he was hoping for a little sister, and for about 30 seconds, was almost in tears when he heard "it's a boy!".

He warmed up to the idea quickly, realizing he was still going to be a big brother himself.

Since the very first minute he held his baby brother, he has been amazing with him. Alex looks after Jackson, making sure he doesn't get hurt or teaching him new things. He plays with him, even when he doesn't really want to. Sure, Alex gets irritated when his little brother takes his things, or smacks him, or is just "annoying", but he really is a great big brother!

This year Alex is finishing up 4th grade, and is looking forward to his last year of elementary school. He's been on the honor roll all year so far and is on target to be on it for the 3rd trimester as well. He was in the mentor program, helping another student, and just finished his second year of Cub Scouts. Now that he's a Webelos Scout, Alex is looking forward to Boy Scouts in 2 years and wants to become an Eagle Scout like his Grandpa O!!

What a handsome young man he's become.

We love you, Alex. You have made us very proud and we are so blessed to have you as our son. Keep being the amazing person you are. One day, you will make a big impact in someone's life, I can just feel it! :)

A month of Alex - May TBT #5

Birthday cake (1st bday 2006)

Wintertime 2007 (18 months)

I found these awesome pictures on some DVD's this morning! There were so many cute, older pictures of him and his brother E floating around, and it was very difficult to narrow it down to just these 2 today. Tomorrow, Alex will be celebrating his 9th birthday. This morning while he was packing his book bag, I went in their room and laid down on his bed, and he came over to give me a great big hug. I said to him, "so after today, do I still get hugs and cuddles? After all you will be 9 tomorrow..." He responded "Absolutely! I love you, mom!" That was the sweetest thing I could have heard this morning.

Rock on The Range 2014

Wow! Talk about an awesome weekend!

The three boys stayed at my parents and had so much fun. They went to the park to play on the playground, for a walk to the nearby shopping center to watch rc cars, a small festival where they each rode one or two rides, and to the dollar store to buy a small toy. Movies were watched, games were played and tons of outside fun was had. Alex got his birthday money early, and is saving it to spend later. E got his early too, and spent about half of it on a used DS game. Jackson slept and ate well nearly the entire weekend, and only asked for us a few times, but a short phone call each day made him smile.

That Thursday, the boys and I were supposed to meet up with someone but unfortunately our plans fell through. Instead we spent the day with my dad, and went to the store for a bit. Early the next morning, Jason drove down and picked me up for our 3 hour drive south to Columbus, Ohio. We went to Heather and Matt's house and got to spend some time with them and my nephew before the 4 of us adults headed out to the Columbus Crew Stadium for the concerts.

Friday, we got to see Black Label Society, Seether and Staind. All very good shows! I had heard songs by each of them but I'm not so good at remembering which songs are by which bands. Well, some bands and songs are iconic, so they stick with me a bit better. Staind's front man, Aaron Lewis, really earned my respect that night. People were crowd-surfing like crazy, and guys were grabbing girls inappropriately just "because they could". Well Aaron Lewis said something about it! Basically, that their moms should be ashamed of them, they probably didn't raise them to be like that, it's not open season on girls, that girls are grabbing them in their privates, etc. He was eloquent, to the point, and got cheers from all the women and girls in the crowd along with many of the guys! Much love for that!

We did catch a couple of the other bands on the smaller stages, but just a song or two here and there, and I don't remember the bands.

Friday's Headliner: Guns 'N' Roses. I have no words. We left early during their show. No Slash. Axl was being... Let's just say I will never be able to listen to Welcome to the Jungle the same again. Most definitely without laughing extremely hard. I went to get my hair chopped off last night, and turned the radio on in the truck. That song came on, and I just couldn't stop cracking up, thinking of that night, and then Jason's imitation in the van the other day when we heard it.

We went to a great little restaurant, where the waitress was joking and laughing with us while we ordered and ate breakfast at midnight (except Heather, who got chicken strips. "One of these is not like the others" - Jason, who also order fried mushrooms to go with his big breakfast). We probably spent a good hour and a half just hanging out.

Saturday brought more fun after some busyness in the morning/afternoon. When we got to ROTR, we got the opportunity to see Pop Evil, Theory of a Dead Man and Chevelle who all sounded great. At that point Jason and I took off for the "pit" area, moving as close to the stage as possible. Heather and Matt went to the bleachers to sit.

Slayer!! We were so close! Jason and I did get separated for most of the show, but it was so awesome. I couldn't leave my phone out, or I'd have dropped and lost it in the madness. Great show, crazy crowd, so much fun!

Headliner: Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) put on such an awesome show!!! I didn't realize how much I like their music until that night. Really! I can see why they are so big.

Boneless wings, cheese and bacon fries, and subs is what our late-night dinner consisted of Saturday. Heather and Matt suggested awesome places! We, again, spent a great deal of time just hanging out and talking about nothing in particular. Such a fun time.

The truck had started acting funny Saturday, so Sunday morning Jason took an hour or so to try and figure out what was up with that. Then he and I went to Auto Zone to find out if they could check for any malfunction codes. It came back with 6... On to the next. LOL. After a bit more poking around there, the four of us went back for the final day of ROTR.

We had the opportunity to see Alter Bridge (we stayed up in the bleachers for this one), Five Finger Death Punch (AWESOME!! and they also earned major respect points for saying something similar as Staind had), and heard a little of Jason Bonham LZE from the Ernie Ball stage.

Sunday's Headliner: KID ROCK! He puts on a really amazing show! I never knew he played so many instruments: guitar, keyboard, drums. So cool.

We had originally planned to go to dinner at the first place we went to, but they close early on Sundays. Steak and Shake was open though. Our waitress was awful, but the food was delicious and the company was great :) I think 90% of the other patrons had also come from ROTR.

I tell you what, we are DEFINITELY going again next year. One way or another, come hell or high water. Not only did we have an absolute blast, the boys had such a good time too, and Jason and I came back refreshed and able to enjoy our kids even more than before. I can't tell you the last time we had no children around for more than a couple of hours. It has to have been before Jackson was born - 2 1/2 years ago - because this was his first extended time away from us! We had time alone to talk in the car on Friday, and Monday, plus some time during the weekend when we went places together. Time to laugh, and just be, be together, be Jason and Crystal, be husband and wife, be friends, not just "mom and dad". We love our boys so very much, but I think we both forgot how nice it is to just be grown-ups and have time just to ourselves to work on our relationship. I feel like we really bonded and reaffirmed our love over the weekend. It gave us time to step back from the craziness of life and just let loose and have some fun. I had forgotten how much fun Jason can be when he's not stressed from work, or tired from school, or being constantly bombarded from every direction. I had forgotten how to laugh, really laugh uncontrollably, at something other than my boys being silly or telling jokes.

We drove back to my parents Monday morning and when it was time to leave there to head for home, E and Alex didn't want to leave! Jack couldn't care either way, as long as mom was staying around. He had fun but told me he missed me very much. The older two had had so much fun and enjoyed their time with grandma and grandpa so much, they wished they could stay a few more days. I felt so bad, but reminded them that they had swimming lessons that night, and a few more weeks of school. They (E and A) are going to their other grandparents for a week the first week in July, and that will be super fun as well, and I'm sure my parents will try to get the older two for a couple of more days of the summer also.

Probably my favorite "crazy" quote from the weekend? "Who does that? Who s*#%s in a port-a-potty?" Overheard while waiting in line for said port-a-potty - the trailer kind with 6 stalls on one side for the women and 6 on the other for the men. I will admit, it was the filthiest, stinkiest port-a-potty I've seen to date, and most of the stalls ran out of TP that first day, but seriously?! She just kept up her drunken rant about it for what seemed like 15 minutes. Heather and I could not stop laughing, nor could the other girls behind us.

A month of Alex - May TBT #4

First Communion (2013)

Alex and I were just sitting here yesterday and talking about things coming up in the next few weeks. School is out in about 3 weeks (15 school days left, not including today), and we go on vacation just 2 days later - on Father's Day! Memorial Day is Monday, and while there is no school, we have a cub scout event including a parade and picnic. It dawned on him that means his birthday is NEXT Friday.

He finally decided he wants to have a sleepover with 5 of his friends and have pizza and pop. We are going to take the boys bowling - or maybe roller skating. Either one will be fun for all involved. Ethan has asked if he can have a friend spend the night as well, but Jas and I need to discuss this as it's Alex's special day. I'm hoping the weather will be nice Saturday night because Alex is hoping they can have a camp-out in the backyard in the tent (with dad out there for supervision, of course).

I'm planning to give him the choice between yellow cake or brownies for his "cake" and any flavor ice cream he likes - Breyer's has so many choices that are dye-free and HFCS-free, with very few ingredients.


It's been hard to decide each week which pictures to show! I love looking back and see how he's grown and changed.